Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the historic Bellosguardo in Montecito, Calif., has hosted countless parties and events—but none as large or complex as the 500-person wedding recently executed on a hot August night by 24/7 Events, Valencia, Calif.
The estate-turned-museum was built in 1902 and presents several obstacles for even the most experienced event coordinators. “Working at Bellosguardo requires a high level of care to maintain the property’s pristine condition and preserve its integrity,” says Rob Cruikshank, president of 24/7 Events.
With just 12 weeks to plan in partnership with the venue, bride and groom, and four event planners, 24/7 shaded 20,000 square feet at the rear of the property, incorporating over 200 tons of HVAC to keep guests cool, all while navigating space and time limitations.
The main reception tent, a 16,000-square-foot L-Series 350mm profile A-Frame from Shelter Structures America, was accompanied by multiple Aztec Jumbotrac® tents to cover the kitchen and functions such as cocktail hour. Due to its hillside location, the site required elevated flooring for the reception and kitchen areas. 24/7 used TF2100 flooring from Bil-Jax® to level off a 0–12-foot grade that led straight to the property’s exclusive ocean view.
Because view access is restricted to the back, an extra layer of creativity is needed when considering both tent installation and guest entry. 24/7 had a strict timeline of four days for setup and three days for take-down. To protect the landscaping and raise arches on a 12-foot platform, a 14-person crew used a crane for key parts of the installation.
“We opted for a smaller and more experienced team that could work swiftly and efficiently, rather than a larger group, which would leave more opportunity for error and potentially hinder construction progress,” says Cruikshank.
Guests were welcomed at the hilltop with cocktails and appetizers before moving down toward the ceremony and reception areas, where they were served a formal plated dinner. To create a safe and workable kitchen space, 24/7 built a 50-by-100-foot deck that seamlessly connected the kitchen, providing service access to the reception and helping servers avoid several stairs throughout the dinner. The addition also ensured prompt food delivery for a better guest experience.
“The location and event were genuinely remarkable,” says Cruikshank. “As soon as our team set foot on the premises, we were captivated by the expansive ocean views and enchanted by the property’s intricacies. In that moment, we discovered we were in a truly unique location, and we feel privileged to have worked in such a stunning space.”
Devin Van Bortel, owner of Amazing Event Rentals, Hardeeville, S.C., has helped thousands of clients turn their event dreams into reality. From intimate gatherings to million-dollar weddings, he thought he had seen it all—until last April.
After 20 months of planning with Tara Skinner Events, Savannah, Ga., and Petal Productions, Miami, Fla., Van Bortel and his team installed the reception tent for a 170-person wedding at the Montage Palmetto Bluff, a luxury resort in Bluffton, S.C. The weekend wedding encompassed four major events: a rehearsal dinner on Thursday, welcome party on Friday, reception on Saturday and farewell brunch on Sunday.
“This event had the most vendors I’ve ever experienced,” Van Bortel says. “There were three videographers, five photographers, nine planning and design coordinators, and seven rental companies. At least 100 different workers were on-site over the course of the weekend. The florist alone brought in 50 people to set up for the reception.”
The Amazing Events crew topped out at 20 to install a 50-by-135-foot garden tent manufactured by Fred’s Tents & Canopies. The fully enclosed, clear vinyl structure spanned 6,750 square feet with a base made of 2-by-8-by-16-foot wood planks. Amazing also put 80 tons of AC into the tent.
To prepare for Saturday, eight team members arrived on-site Wednesday. “We had the framework up in the air and all of the vinyl pulled by nightfall,” says Van Bortel. “Thursday, we came back with a crew of 20 to lay the floor, plank by plank. On Friday, with three other rental companies, we delivered all of the tables, chairs, staging, dance floor and other furniture and accessories.”
Despite the enormity of the project, he says the installation was seamless. Although the garden tent is new to many regions, Amazing had rented it for other events and solidified a smooth setup process. The challenge was deciding whether to purchase the tent. “We’re a small mom-and-pop company that had to make a big decision: Do we spend the money to buy a tent that that is extremely different than the traditional wedding tent? An asset that could take years to profit off of? I could’ve easily turned down this client and only provided the tables and chairs. But I rolled the dice. Fast-forward to now, that tent has been our quickest ROI.”
Small but impactful
There’s nothing Curated Events DMV, formerly Sugarplum Tent Company, in Frederick, Md., loves more than customizing a wedding design to a couple’s signature style. In May 2022, they partnered with Grit & Grace Inc. of Washington, D.C. for a highly customized wedding in Washington, Va.
The historic town’s renowned inn, The Inn at Little Washington, was the perfect backdrop for a whimsical affair featuring Curated Events DMV’s 40-by-60-foot green garden tent—a rare find among East Coast tent rentals. With an 80-person guest list, the couple dedicated most of their budget to distinctive design elements, from the chandeliers inside the tent to a hot air balloon nearby.
“A lot of the wedding was designed around the tent. It’s a beautiful color and has decorative rings that attach to the beams, which give it an ethereal greenhouse look,” says Elizabeth Roth, senior event manager at one of Curated Events’ eight event rental companies across the Southeast U.S.
The event site was a two-hour drive from the company’s location, adding pressure on the installation team to “triple-check” that everything was on board before leaving each day—although the inn’s noise restrictions, which were in place until 10 a.m. throughout the three-day installation process, helped them avoid extremely early hours.
Thanks to the flat, grassy surface, floor leveling was not required, but the team made the most of the couple’s budget by leveling up on materials, selecting a black and white printed vinyl from a residential flooring supplier. “It was a totally different look from what we typically do and the smaller tent size worked in favor of the design,” Roth says.
Lining the rolls of vinyl together and around the tent’s interior legs was a time-consuming challenge but made all the difference in synthesizing the linens (BBJ La Tavola), decor (Something Vintage Rentals) and florals (Sophie Felts Floral Design). While Curated Events did not provide the lights, they installed them after making significant modifications to fit the space. “They were a bit long for the height of this tent but complemented Grit & Grace’s design perfectly, so we brainstormed a way to make it work,” Roth recalls.
With everything in place, one hurdle remained the day before the wedding: a rainy forecast. The couple had planned for an outdoor ceremony ahead of the tented reception but requested a small sailcloth tent to be installed last minute as a secondary option. Fortunately, clear skies allowed it to sit untouched as they stuck to the original plan for the ceremony—which was immediately followed by a downpour, leading Curated Events to innovate on the spot in the garden tent. To prevent rain from running down the sidewalls and into the tent, the team created drainage by drilling holes directly into the floor, staying close to the interior legs to avoid tripping hazards. Roth notes it was the “ultimate display of teamwork, with everyone working together fast and furiously” to ensure the tent was free of water and guest-ready by cocktail hour.
The rain was heavy but brief, followed by a vivid sunset. “There’s something so special about such a customized look because it existed only for that short time and place,” Roth says. “The conditions of that day will never be the same again, creating a very unique experience for the couple and their guests.”
A custom country view
With offices in Stamford, Conn., and Hauppauge, N.Y., Stamford Tent & Event Services has installed more than 1,500 wedding tents of all sizes across the tri-state area of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. From planning to production, the family-owned business prides itself on handling every meticulous detail to bring a customer’s vision to life. In June 2024, one particular vision presented several challenges to overcome.
What started as a typical, midsize-wedding request in December 2023 evolved into a multi-tent setup for 450 attendees spanning 32,900 square feet. Situated alongside a large pond in the countryside of East Hampton, N.Y., the wedding shaded guests with three main tents: an 81-by-131-foot reception tent and an 81-by-111-foot ceremony tent—both Stillwater sailcloth tents from Fred’s Tents & Canopies, Waterford, N.Y., and a 50-by-130-foot rehearsal-dinner tent—a Navi-Trac® frame tent from Anchor Industries, North Evansville, Ind. Several smaller Navi-Trac tents provided space for catering, production and restrooms as well as the bridal party’s green room. All tents included leveled flooring.
To encourage guests to take in the scenery during cocktail hour, the customer asked Stamford to abut the circular pond and extend an uncovered front porch to match the circumference of the pond and include a curved, plexiglass railing as a guard rail. The challenge came with a catch. “They requested no web guys on the front that would block the porch,” recalls Steve Frost, president and managing partner. “To anchor it without guy ropes, we partnered with Fred’s Tents to engineer 16-foot-high columns we installed in a cement foundation.”
Adding to the aesthetics per the customer’s request, they also created a custom valance as well as a custom stripe pattern across the entire tent.
Leveling the flooring that sloped, curved and interfaced with the columns was the most time-consuming task of all, contributing to the project’s six-week timeline—four weeks for installation and two weeks for removal.
Logistics slowed operations as well. “To limit vehicle activity on a private road leading to the location, the customer asked that we stage all trucks on a separate piece of property, eight miles away, and shuttle equipment to the site in smaller trucks, one at a time,” Frost says.
But despite the many challenges, the Stamford crew persevered and the installation proved a great success as can be seen in the stunning event photos.
Holly Eamon is a business writer and editor based in Minneapolis, Minn.
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